Ever found yourself stuck when writing captions for your salon or spa’s social media posts? Have you ever found yourself wondering how exactly hashtags work and if they add any value to your posts? Sometimes, the most seemingly simple tasks cause the most grief, and this can be the case when it comes to writing captions and hashtags. Well, worry no more! Our partner and digital experts from Salon S.O.S. are going to give you a crash course on caption writing and explain how to best use hashtags. Buckle up!
CAPTION CREATIVITY UNLEASHED
We’ve all been there, relying on those basic coffee-inspired hair captions (you know, the caramel macchiato bayalage and oat milk latte blondes). They may be cute, but not always effective. Instead of leaning on a simple caption that only explains the post they are seeing, make your caption INSPIRING, EDUCATIONAL, PROMOTIONAL or ENGAGING. Think beyond the obvious and write captions that would make you stop scrolling to read. We’re going to show you examples of what an explanatory, inspiring, educational, promotional and entertaining caption looks like for the photo below.
Want to learn more about Salon S.O.S. and all the digital marketing solutions they have for salon professionals?! Click HERE to learn more!
THE SIMPLE EXPLANATORY CAPTION
Pretty in pink❣️
THE INSPIRATIONAL CAPTION
This lovely lady is absolutely obsessed with pink. Every time she visits the salon, she has her hair done in a different shade of pink. Her nails, her accessories, her makeup are always beaming with bursts of soft, bright, neon, or pastel pink. The colour pink represents love, kindness, and approachability, and this is the vibe she puts out as soon as she steps in the salon.
It brightens my day every time she sits in my chair and shares her sunny, vibrant, PINK energy with me. Not only is she an absolute joy to work with but I also have the opportunity to be creative and turn her pink hair dreams into reality.✨
THE EDUCATIONAL CAPTION
Here’s how we created this peachy kissed pink ✨
First, we pre-lightened with Evo Pro Bottle Blonde Lightener + 20 Vol + Olaplex. Then, we pre-toned with Evo Pro Platinum Shampoo
Next up- application.
Crown Formula: Evo Fabuloso Pro Chocolate + Black, STAINO Ruby + Plum + Clear
Mid-strands- Ends Formula: STAINO Clear + Ruby + Fab Pro Chocolate
We sent her home with a custom mixed Fabuloso Pro Conditioner to maintain this gorgeous tone until next her salon visit! ❤️
THE PROMOTIONAL CAPTION
Ooo, this pink would look SO good on you! ❣️
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For the rest of the month, you will receive a FREE colour conditioner ($50 value!) with any fashion color service! ✨
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THE ENGAGING CAPTION
We absolutely LOVE this pinky peachy masterpiece but we can’t put our finger on what it reminds us of …
Help us out by telling us what this color combo reminds you of in the comments!!
On a side note… if you could do your hair in ANY pastel colour, what would you choose?! ✨
Next time you’re writing captions for your salon posts, decide if you want to be inspiring, educational, promotional or engaging. Once you’ve figured out that and the story you want to tell, the rest of the caption should fall into place. When in doubt, take a look at your favourite salon industry accounts and take inspiration from their captions! Or utilize AI like ChatGPT to help write captions. And remember, authenticity is key!
For more on authenticity on social media, give this blog post a read!
#HASHTAGS
Hashtags are an interesting concept that have evolved greatly over the years. They are keywords about the content you are posting and allow social media users to easily follow along with the topics they are interested in. At first, the idea was to hashtag every. Single. Thing. And include as many hashtags as you could. Then we were told to not include hashtags in the caption, but in the comments. It changed constantly and it’s hard to know what’s right and wrong and how to come about utilizing them properly for business. Well folks, it’s much simpler than we all think. For now (until the usage and algorithms change again), it seems to be most efficient to niche down and choose between 3 and 5 specific hashtags. For salon/spa businesses, you can narrow down your hashtag strategy by keeping the following categories in mind:
Service/Product Hashtags
For hairstylists, this may look like a specific hairstyles like #bayalage or #curlyhair and for retail, you may choose to hashtag the type of product like #proteintreatment or #clarifyingshampoo . You may also choose to use the brands of products used in your salon/spa.
Salon/Spa Industry Hashtags
These hashtags are linked to the specific work you do and services you offer. For example: #hairstylist , #lashtechnician , #skincareexpert etc.
Branded Hashtags
If you haven’t already, create a branded hashtag for your salon company! This way, IG users can search your hashtag and see every post that’s used it in their caption, creating a library of content linked to your salon!
Community/location hashtags.
These are the most important type of hashtag in our opinion as they aim towards social media users in your area, AKA potential clients. Look up the commonly used hashtags in your community and apply it to your industry. For example, if your salon is in Langley, you may choose #langleysalon, #hairstylistlangley, #langleyhair, etc.
Once you’ve nailed down the hashtags you think will perform best, the hard work is done! You simply need to copy and paste your pre-set list to your captions. We do suggest mixing them up a bit between posts to see which perform better. We also recommend scheduling your posts ahead of time to make it even easier on yourself, check out Salon S.O.S Social Media Scheduling Platform for more info!
CONCLUSION
These tips and tricks for captivating captions and effective hashtags should make you a pro in no time. We want to see you execute now!
We challenge you to schedule your posts/captions for the next week (minimum! Brownie points if you plan for the month!) using thoughtfully planned and written captions. Along with these beautifully curated captions, we challenge you to test out different hashtags with each post to see if it makes any difference performance wise. Over the next month, see what works and see what doesn’t, then adjust your strategy accordingly moving forward!
Or if you’re not longer interested in the headache of managing your salon’s social media marketing, Salon S.O.S. can do it for you. Hit this link to learn more! If you want more great digital marketing tips or support for your salon business delivered straight to your inbox, sign up for the Salon S.O.S. VIP list here https://www.salonsos.ca/salon-digital-tips-vip.
You can also follow them on Instagram @salon.s.o.s and check out their free digital marketing academy at www.salonsos.ca/digital-marketing-academy